Man sentenced in 2011 robbery

A Jacksonville man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for a 2011 robbery of the restaurant his then-girlfriend worked at, according to information from The U.S. Attorney’s Office.

DAILY NEWS STAFF

A Jacksonville man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for a 2011 robbery of the restaurant his then-girlfriend worked at, according to information from The U.S. Attorney’s Office.

James Lee Woodard, 24, of Jacksonville pleaded guilty on Jan. 22 to conspiring to commit robbery of a business engaged in interstate commerce. Woodard was sentenced Wednesday by Chief United States District Judge James C. Denver III to five years in prison and three years supervised release.

The Sonic Drive-In on Lejeune Boulevard was robbed on April 11, 2011, as the night manager and co-defendant, Katie Rivera, and another employee were closing the business for the night, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Two masked men entered through the back door and proceeded directly to the employee, assaulted him and forced him to the floor.

One suspect told Rivera to place all the money in a backpack and, after collecting the money, the robbers fled the business.

According to investigators, Rivera and Woodard had been dating and she was aware of the plans to rob the restaurant.

Rivera, 25, of Jacksonville, pleaded guilty to conspiring to rob a business engaged in interstate commerce in February 2012 and was sentenced on Jan. 20 to 28 months in prison and three years supervised release.

Matthew Brian Goodale, 24, also of Jacksonville, pleaded guilty to the same charge in August and was sentenced on Jan. 28 to 30 months in prison followed by three years supervised release.

The court also ordered Woodard, Rivera and Goodale to each pay $4,200 in restitution.

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